Heavy duty hand dispensers



July 9, 1957 w. s. ALDRICH HEAVY DUTY'HAND DISPENSERS Filed April 4,1951 v Hamm l 2,798,552 HEAVY DUTY HAND DISPENSERS Walter S. Aldrich,Moundsview Township, Ramsey County, Minn., assigner to Minnesota Mining& lvianuu facturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of DelawareApplication April 4, 1951, Serial No. 219,299 (Ilaims. (Cl. 164%4.5)

The present invention relates to dispensers for adhesive tape, includingpressure-sensitive adhesive tape, and particularly to hand dispensers,i. e., dispensers designed to be held in the hand when being operated,as contrasted with dispensers designed to be held by a table, work benchor other support.

Objectives include the provision of hand dispensers that can accommodaterelatively large annular rolls of tape; the provision of hand dispensersthat can dispense tape having a relatively high crosswise tearresistance; the provision of heavy duty hand dispensers.

The invention provides a hand dispenser having a drum for supporting anannular roll of tape, an arm fixed to the drum and extending outwardlybeyond the periphery of the roll, and a passive severing means at theend of the arm for severing a withdrawn length of tape that extends fromthe roll outwardly beyond the severing means.

An alternative form provides two arms instead of one.

The drum is shaped, designed and/or equipped to permit the drum, or thedrum and the tape roll together, to be grasped by the hand of anoperator when tape is being dispensed.

The severing means may be a knife, and there may also be a knife guard,with the guard and the knife movable in relation to each other so thatthe knife edge may be alternately guarded and exposed. t

A passive severing means is one wherein cutting is accomplished bymovement of the object. This is in contrast'to an active severing means,wherein cutting is accomplished by movement of the severing means.

An illustrative embodiment is described below and shown in the attacheddrawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a hand dispenser of the two-arm typewith a movable knife, in operation;

Figure 2 is a side elevation;

Figure 3 is a plan view; and

Figure 4 is an elevation ofthe outer end or front.

A drum 11 supports upon its periphery 12 an annular supply roll 13 ofnormally tacky pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 13. An aperture 14extends through the drum to accommodate the fingers of the hand of anoperator, thus providing means for grasping the drum 11 with the supplyroll 13 mounted thereon as shown in Figure 1. The unapentured portion ofthe drum serves as a handle.

At a point beyond the periphery of the drum and spaced from. theperiphery sufficiently to accommodate the roll 13, is a tape cutting orsevering assembly, the frame of the said assembly bein-g formed of aleft side member 15, a right side member 16, and a top member 17 thatextends between the upper edges of the side members and connects them,all three of the said members being here shown in the form of plates.

The top member 17 serves as a knife guard in a Inanner hereinafterdescribed.

At least one of the side members and 16 is elongated to form an armextending inwardly along one side of the roll 13 to the drum 11.

In the illustrated embodiment both are thus elongated, forming two arms15 and 16', respectively, which are removably xed to the drum by pairsof cleats 18 on the sides of the drum. The cutting assembly may bedisengaged from the drum to permit mounting fresh rolls of tape on thedrum, by withdrawing the arms 15' and 16 from the cleats in thedirection of lthe arrow 19.

States Patent ICC In an alternative construction, only one of the sidemembers, e. g., the member 15, is elongated to form an arm, and the arm16 is eliminated, the side member 16 terminating at approximately thepoint indicated by the arrow 20.

An advantage of the one-arm construction is speed in mounting andremounting rolls, so that a variety of sizes, colors and/ or kinds oftape may be dispensed in quick succession from a single dispenser.

An advantage of the two-arm construction is greater structural strength.

In either form, the arm or arms may, if desired, be longer than is shownin the illustrated dispenser so as to extend beyond the periphery 12 ofthe drum 11 opposite the cutting assembly. This helps to keep the roll13 aligned on the drum.

The cutting assembly includes a knife unit comprising a knife 25 heldbetween an upper knife plate 26 and a lower knife plate 27, the plates26 and 27 being drawn together and held by a screw 28. The edges of theupper knife plate 26 are turned downwardly on each side to form flanges29 and 30.

Portions of the side members 15 and 16 are cut and turned inwardly toform flanges 31 and 32 which provide sliding ways for the knife unit.

The knife 25 is thus slidably mounted adjacent the guard plate 17 toreciprocate along the under surface thereof between a retracted positionwherein the outer or forward edge 33 of the guard plate 17 extendsbeyond the cutting edge of the knife, and an exposed cutting positionwherein the cutting edge of the knife extends beyond the outer orforward edge of the guard plate as shown in broken lines in Figure 2.

A lever 35, pivoted at 36, has a nib 37 at its lower end which extendsthrough an aperture 3S in the upper knife plate 26, thereby to engagethe knife unit. The lever is located in a position to be operated bythat hand of the operator which grasps the mounted roll and the drum, asshown in Figure l. Manual pressure on the free end of the lever movesthe knife unit outwardly until the knife 25 is in the above describedcutting position. A spring 39 acts upon the lever to return the knife tothe retracted position when the manual pressure is released. The saidreturn movement is limited by two nibs 40 and 41 that are formed on theends of the upper knife plate flanges 29 and 30.

In operation, the tape 13', tacky side down, is drawn outwardly fromthe` roll, between the side plates 15 and 16 to a' point beyond theknife until the desired length has been withdrawn. The lever 35 is thenmanually depressed to thrust the knife 25 out into cutting position,whereupon the end of the tape is severed by drawing it back against theknife, as shown in Figure l.

A roller 45 which is positioned between the tape roll 13 and the knife25, serves as a tape rest or anchor. It extends between the side plates15 and 16 and is journaled therein. When tape is drawn outwardlydirectly from the supply roll 13 to the knife 25,. and severed, the endportion of the unsevered withdrawn tape is usually caught by the rolleras it fallsand is temporarily anchored by reason of its adherencethereto. A short length or tab 46 of tape extending beyond the roller isthus provided and positioned, by which to grasp the tape for the nextsucceeding dispensing operation.

To be more certain of the anchorage of the unsevered tape to the roller45, and of the resulting grasping tab 46, it is preferable in operationto adhere the tape thereto before cutting it, so that it extends fromthe supply roll 13 to the anchoring roller 45 and thence to the knife,as shown in the drawings, rather than directly from the supply roll tothe knife, at the time of severing it.

When tape is being withdrawn, the roll should ordifation. vThe operator-hasla good-:grip or-p the dispenser-and the roll. The positio'ningfof'the :sever- 1-fxed in relation'to the'ldrum and firmly held, and-theoper- -at'oraccordingly then'grips the roll as well as the drum.

Dispensers made in accordance with the present invention possess manyadvantages over those heretofore known.

For example, the operators lhand, the drum and the mounted roll allbecome as als'ing'l'e u'nit'when thedrum and themounted-roll areYboth-'firmly graspe'dbythe hand. This permits the exertion of greatforce iin- Tseveringoperurcha-s'e f on both -in'g lm'earis beyond ltheperiphery `of Etlie roll fon fan arm, provides v-good lleverage.lrnprovedllei l'agelisfalso fsecured by positioning the drurnaperture-142msuchfa'loeation that lth`e f grasped `portion fof "-t-hemounted i r'oll 113 is 'at' one :side -ofaplane determinedibytheaxisiofthe drum vrligandby-'atleast one-point `on theledg'e of theknife/25 when the knife is in cut-ting position-(Figure 2) sothat thedispenser A`is grasped Afrom the to'p and-held down firmly at armslength against the tape (Figure l).

Industrial tapes having heavy, Avtough or otherwise hard-to-cutlbackings, can faeco'r'di'ngly Snow be-'dispense'd by hand dispensers.The portability of hand dispensers renders'them advantageous loverldispensers that require a table, workbench or-othersupport, inithatthey can be carried aboutto-the various Vplaces 'whereflengths of thetape are to be applied. AA great deal -o'f timeis'save'd. This saving isnowmaide-available,by-thepresent-invention, in the-field of heavy dutydispensing.

All embodiments within the seope'lof the-invention described and/orclaimed herein are contemplated The invention 'maytake numerous forms.lForexample, -an advantageous construction is kshown in the`cio-'pending application of John A.*Polster'l'Se'rial-No219;2-95,'filed concurrently herewith.

I claim:

1. vA portable hand dispenser comprising la drum for supporting anannular roll of tape, `alu-aperture inthe drum f to 'accommodate 'thefingers 'when a `rnounted roll and the drum are rgrasped as aunitbythehand of an operator, Van-'arm 'fixed to-'the drum-land extending'outwardly beyond the .periphery v of ltheroll, a'ip'as'sive severingmeans iat 'the end'of' thearmlforsevering-lafwithdrawn length of tapethat extends from the v`roll f outwardly beyondfthe severing means,theseveri-rig manseomprising a movable-*knife mounted to `'reciprocatebetween la retracted position and an exposed -lcuttinglpos'itiomthelocation of the said drum :aperture beingsuch that the grasped portionofthe mountedfrollis at oneside 'of a plane determined by the axisoflthedrum and vby -at least one point on the edgeof Vthe-knife whenthe-knife is in cutting position, and a guard extending beyondthecutting Vedge of the *knife when the knifeis in retracted position, thecutting edge extending-beyond the guard when'the'knife is in cuttingposition,lmeans forrnoving the knife `into cutting position, -and 'meansfor moving-the knife into retracted position, the said Trneans 'formoving the knife into cutting position-'being so located as tobeoperable by thatjhan'd fof Lthe "operator which grasps the mounted rollandthe drum. n

`2. A .portable hand `rdispenser comprising 4a `drum for supporting anannular roll oftape, =`an aperture in "the drum to accommodate -thefingers when-'amounted roll and `the drum -are grasped-asia unit lay-thehand 'of "an operator, and' a passive 'tapev 'ctting assemblyfbyond theperiphery of the roll; Vthe-said assembly comprising two spaced parallelside members, at 4least ione f" the side members being elongateditoformanarm extending Vfrom the assembly'alonglone side fof the rollito thedru*m,-the second y'side' member beingpositioned :to permit a 'Withdrawnunseveredlength of `tape topass between .theside i members when the tapeis drawn outwardly from the roll, a guard plate extending between theside members and connecting the side members, a knife adjacent onesurface of the plate between the side members, r the location of thesaid drum aperture being such that the grasped portion of themountedroll is at oneside of a plane-determined bythe axis of the drumand by atleast oneipoint on the edge of the knife when the knife is incutting position, the'knife being mounted to reciprocate along the saidsurface of the plate between a retracted position and an exposed cuttingposition, one edge of the guard lplate extendingbeyond the cutting edgeof the knife when the knife-is 4in retractedjposition andthetcuttingedge extending beyond .the said edge of lthe guardY plate when the knifeis in cuttingy position, ymeans for moving theknife into cuttingposition, and means for moving the knifeinto retractedposition, the-saidmeans for fmoving vthe knife -intocutting-position being -solocatedas toAbe-operable by that hand of the'operator -whieh -grasps the mountedroll and the drum. Y

3. A dispenser according-to claim 2 in'which the knife moving meanscomprises la -lever pivotally mounted to move the zknife from retractedposition outwardly along the Iplate to cutting .position inresponsetornanual pressureon lone -endof thefleverpand yspring-means forreturning-theknife to retracted position.

4. A dispenser according toclaim 2 having a tapeanchoringmeansbetweenthe roll and the knife, the said anchoring 4means comprisingaroller which extends betweenithe side-members and is journaled therein.

'5.AA portablehand dispenser comprising a drum for supporting an annularroll of tape, an aperture inthe drurn to accommodate-the'ngers when amounted roll and the drum-faregrasped as a unit by the hand of anoperator, an arm on each side of the -drum extending outwardly eyond theperiphery of the roll-alongthe sides of the roll, "the arms beingremovably fixed to the drum, a guard fplate beyond the-periphery of theroll extending between the arms and connecting the arms, la passivesevering ymeans in the form` of a knife adjacent one surface ofthe.platebetween the arms, theloeation of'the said drum aperture being:such that the grasped portion of the mounted roll is at one side of aplane'determined by the axis-of Vthe drum and by `at'leas't-one'point onthe edge of the knife when the knife is in .cutting position, the knifebeing mounted toreciprocatetalong the saidsurface of the plate-between aretracted .position andan exposed cuttingfposition, one'edge of theguard., plate extending--beyondthecutting edge of the knife when theknife is-infretractedj pesitionand'the cutting edge extending -beyond'the said edge of the jguardplate when the l;nife`is-in"cuttingposition, means for moving the knife intot-cuttingposition, and meansfor movingtheknife into retracted position, the said means for movingthe knife into cutting-.position being solocated as to 'be operable bythathand of the operator which grasps the mounted roll and the drum.

References Cited in the-tile of this patent UNITED 'STA-TES lPPIIIWS2,235,704 Gorbatenkoet'al Mar.`18,719`41 `2,310,522 Gorbatenko Feb. 9,1943 2,324,349 'Atkins `July 13, 1943 2,469,247 Smith May 3, 19492,518,184 Renne Aug. 8,1950 2,547,583 Krueger Apr. 3,'1951 `2,555,187Erhardt May`29, 1951 2,664,252 Glew Dec. 29, 1953 --'oTHER REFERENCESPopular Seientie;publication,V picture, p.- 237, December -19'45.

,Popular Mechanics publication, p. 105, January 1949.

